Many applications demand a regulated high voltage that is free from variations in voltage level. Designing an inexpensive and reliable circuit that provides a regulated high voltage, however, has proved to be problematic. While it has been recognized that it would be advantageous to use solid-state devices in a regulator circuit because of their low cost and small size, it has been difficult to design such a circuit. For example, although bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) have been used in the design of high voltage regulator circuits, the regulator circuits have failed to achieve the necessary performance for practical use. In certain circumstances, the current necessary to drive the bipolar junction transistors can exceed the actual load current being regulated. Moreover, bipolar junction transistors cannot tolerate overvoltages for an extended period. Based on the perceived shortcomings of bipolar junction transistors in specific, and solid-state devices in general, current regulators have therefore typically been constructed using different technologies.